MICHAEL OWEN might have looked overawed during his first two months at Real Madrid before he scored his first goal last week.

But today he tells The SP that he never doubted himself and how starting out as a kid at Liverpool was much more daunting than mixing it with Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul and Co.

Comparing his first few games at Anfield as a 17-year-old and his baptism at the Bernabeu, Owen said: "I feel much more comfortable here because I've already done it on the domestic stage for Liverpool and the world stage for England.

"I knew I could do it. The first couple of games for Liverpool when you're thinking 'Am I good enough to be a professional?' that's probably the more difficult.

"Now it's difficult because I'm playing in one of the best teams - but I can do it.''

Owen took 17 minutes to break his Liverpool duck, scoring on his debut against Wimbledon in May 1997 and the following season he was the Premiership's joint top scorer and a World Cup sensation.

At Real, he went 293 minutes without finding the net. But he added: "It wasn't as if I was playing badly, it was just that opportunities were scarce - I've had worse times in my career.''